Rotary machine for use in washing, dry cleaning and dyeing garments and other articles



Jan. 17, 1956 HOWLETT IN WASHING, DRY CLEANING E. J. ROTARY MACHINE FOR USE AND DYEING GARMENTS AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed March 4, 1954 mfm Inventor A ttomeys United States Patent ROTARY MACHINE FOR USE IN WASHING, DRY CLEANING AND DYEING GARMENTS AND OTHER ARTICLES Edward John Howlett, London, England, assignor to Isaac Braithwaite & Son Engineers Limited, Kendal, England, a body corporate of Great Britain Application March 4, 1954, Serial No. 414,089

1 Claim. (Cl. 68-139) This invention relates to improvements in machines for the treatment of garments and other articles with liquids, such as washing machines, dry cleaning machines or garment dyeing machines of the type in which an inner cylinder having its axis horizontal rotates within an outer cylindrical casing.

In the specification of U. S. Patent No. 2,584,070 there is described a machine of the aforesaid type in which the inner cylinder is imperforate for a portion of its axial length and carries perforated lifters projecting into the cylinder through longitudinal slots in the periphery there of and provided with scoops for picking up liquid from the annular space between the cylinder and the casing, the remaining portion of the periphery of the cylinder being perforated to allow the escape of the liquid from the cylinder, and means being provided for supplying liquid to the annular space between the cylinder and the casing and for the removal of the used liquid draining from the cylinder through the perforated portion thereof.

The present invention has for its object a machine which while preserving the advantages of the machine described in Patent No. 2,584,070 may have other advantages particularly in respect of the speed of rinsing and washing.

The invention comprises a Washing, dry cleaning or similar machine of the type referred to having within the outer casing an assembly comprising a perforated cylinder to receive the articles being treated, a cylinder imperforate for the greater part of its surface surrounding the perforated cylinder but spaced apart therefrom to form an annular space between the two cylinders, perforated lifters carried by the outer cylinder and projecting through slots in the perforated cylinder, the portion of the surface of the outer cylinder adjacent to the lifters being either formed with gaps or spaces or with perforations, and scoops, also carried by the outer cylinder, co-acting with the lifters to direct the liquid in the lower portion of the outer casing to the lifters as the assembly rotates in the outer casing.

The invention is illustrated in and will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section through the ma chine, and

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The portion of the machine which receives the articles to be washed or treated and which rotates within the outer stationary casing A of the machine consists of an inner cylinder B which is perforated for the whole of its length and an outer cylinder C surrounding the cylinder B but spaced apart therefrom so that an annular space is formed between the two cylinders.

The cylinder C is imperforate for the greater part of its surface but as shown in the drawings it is formed with a number of longitudinal gaps or spaces g around its periphery. The cylinder C carries scoops 1, perforated lifters 2, and extensions 3 of substantially the same construction as the scoops, lifters and extensions shown in Fig. 3 of Patent No. 2,584,070. The positions of the scoops 1, lifters 2 and extensions 3 correspond with the positions of the gaps or spaces g of the cylinder C. The perforated lifters 2 project through slots in the cylinder B into the interior thereof and extend for the whole length of the cylinder.

An outlet chamber E is arranged at the bottom of the casing A, this chamber coinciding with a circumferential gap G in the cylinder C.

A weir F is arranged at each side of the chamber to retain the liquor in the parts of the casing A in which the scoops operate and rings F are attached to the cylinder C to carry the scoops 1.

The cylinders B and C are both secured to end plates D and D the plate D being secured to the driving shaft D and the plate D having a central aperture d for loading.

The whole assembly of cylinders B and C, scoops 1, lifters 2 and extensions 3 will rotate together and as they rotate the washing or other liquor is picked up from the lower part of the annular space a between the outer casing A and the imperforate cylinder C by the scoops 1, which direct it into the lifter 2 in which it is trapped by the extensions 3. Thus as each lifter ascends the liquor is carried upwards and distributed for the full length of the cylinder through the perforations in the lifters 2. The liquor is discharged from the cylinder through the gap G into the outlet chamber E.

I claim:

A machine for the treatment of garments and other articles with liquids of the type referred to comprising the combination with an outer stationary casing of an assembly rotatable therein and consisting of a perforated cylinder to receive the articles being treated, an outer cylinder imperforate for the greater part of its surface surrounding and connected to the perforated cylinder but spaced apart therefrom to form an annular space between the two cylinders, perforated lifters carried by the outer cylinder and projecting through slots in the perforated cylinder, the portion of the surface of the outer cylinder adjacent to the lifters being formed with spaces for the passage of liquid therethrough and scoops, also carried by the outer cylinder, co-acting with the lifters to direct the liquid in the lower portion of the outer casing to the lifters as the assembly rotates in the outer casing.

No references cited. 

